BBC Food - Recipes - Cullen skink Cullen skink 30 mins to 1 hour Serves Serves 4 Cullen skink is a classic Scottish smoked fish soup with velvety leeks and potato. Perfectly warming for winter. 2 onions , peeled, roughly chopped 2 fennel bulbs, roughly chopped 500g/17½oz smoked haddock 750ml/1 pint 7fl oz water For the soup 2 shallots , peeled, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed 300g/10½oz potatoes, peeled, chopped 500ml/17½fl oz double cream 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley pinch freshly grated nutmeg Method For the stock, heat the butter and vegetable oil in a large pan and gently fry the leeks, onions and fennel for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Add the white wine to the pan and bring to the boil. Add the smoked haddock, pour in the water and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface, until the haddock is cooked through.

Strain the haddock, reserving the cooking stock. Chop the haddock into bite-sized pieces. For the soup, heat the butter with the vegetable oil and fry the leeks, shallots and garlic for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Add the potatoes and the chopped smoked haddock to the pan. Add the reserved cooking stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the cream and briefly blend the soup with a stick blender. Serve the soup with crusty bread and sprinkle with the chopped fresh parsley and a sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg. Find a recipe on BBC Food Quick & Easy Cullen skink | Good Food Channel Good Food Channel This traditional Scottish soup is a rich winter warmer, great for celebrating Burns' Night Rating: 1.2 litres full fat milk 750 g floury potatoes, diced 450 g undyed smoked haddock 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped and a little extra to garnish Tips and Suggestions At Sam's Brasserie, the chef serves Cullen skink garnished with a poached quails egg and a little more chopped parsley. Method 1.

Melt the butter in a pan, add the onion and leek and cook gently for 7-8 minutes until soft but not browned. Pour in the milk and bring to the boil. Add the potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes until really soft. 2. Add the haddock and simmer for 3-4 minutes until it is cooked and will flake easily. Carefully lift the fish out onto a plate and leave to cool slightly. Meanwhile crush some of the cooked potatoes against the side of the pan to thicken the soup a little. 3. When the haddock is cool enough to handle, break the fish into flakes, discarding the skin and any bones. Return to the pan, gently stir in the parsley and season to taste. Learn how to make Cullen Skink Where would you like to go? Cullen Skink The following is a resume of what is now a world-wide dish that is proudly known as Cullen Skink. This rather odd name is said to come from the Gaelic word "Essence". Initially, Cullen Skink referred to a type of broth made with the scrapings of beef from the front legs of cattle.

Hard times in the early 1890s left the Northern people unable to buy this product. By this time, Cullen Harbour (completed in 1819) had become the thriving centre of herring fishing and the village also specialised in the production of smoked haddock. With many families in the local villages having a fishing background, they turned to smoked haddock which was in plentiful supply. By using smoked haddock and various other products all put together, a distinctive delicious soup was made. Hence Cullen Skink was born. This is now a tribute to the many wives and mothers from the village who over the past years have made Cullen Skink for their families. Today housewives still make this delicious soup. In January 1999 BBC2 sent a team from their popular Food and Drink programme, accompanied by presenter Michael Barry, to film a Cullen Skink competition by local housewives. Five ladies were duly selected and the television cameras rolled into the kitchens of the Seafield Arms Hotel. After much deliberation and tasting, the panel of judges chose Mrs Mary Addison as the winner and she was crowned the "Queen of Cullen Skink".

More recently, the Cullen Voluntary Tourist Initiative launched the Cullen Skink World Championships - with the inaugural competition in 2012. For more news on the Championships, please click here . For details of the winning 2013 recipe , please click here. The recipe below is the winning recipe from 1999 - with the kind permission of Mary Addison: Ingredients 4 fillets of smoked haddock (cut into small pieces) Half a small onion (diced) 3 pints of milk 4 tablespoons of single cream 1 oz margarine 2 teaspoons cornflour (mixed with a tablespoon of milk) 4 medium potatoes (part boiled and diced) Method Melt the margarine in a large saucepan, add the onion and smoked haddock and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the part boiled potatoes and milk, and bring to the boil. Add the cornflour mixed with a tablespoon of milk. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the cream prior to serving. Downloads Traditional Scottish Cullen Skink Recipe Traditional Scottish Cullen Skink Recipe Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters Thanks, You're in! There was an error. Please try again. Please select a newsletter.

Please enter a valid email address. Did you mean ? Cullen Skink Recipe. Getty Updated December 06, 2016. Cullen is a small town in North East of Scotland and the home of one of Scotland's most famous dishes, Cullen Skink which is a hearty soup and traditionally made with smoked haddock, and for me a great way to use smoked fish . In this recipe mashed potatoes are stirred into the soup creating thickness and flavour, some recipes, however, will add in scrubbed, new potatoes or potato chunks. Cullen Skink recipe is also known as Smoked Haddock Chowder in other parts of Britain as the recipe is very similar. 700 ml (1¼ pints) milk Small handful flat leaf parsley 1 bay leaf 450g (1lb ) undyed, smoked haddock fillet 55g (2 oz) butter 1 medium onion, finely chopped 250g (8oz) mashed potato , leftover or cooked fresh Preparation Serves 4 Pour the milk into a large saucepan. Remove the leaves from the parsley and add the stalks to the milk. Finely chop the leaves and keep to one side.

Add the bay leaf and the haddock to the milk. Bring the milk to a gentle boil and cook for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and leave for 5 minutes for the herbs to infuse their flavour into the milk. Remove the haddock from the milk with a slotted spoon and put to one side. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve and reserve the herb-infused milk. Heat the butter in another saucepan, add the onions and cook gently until translucent about 5 mins, taking care not to burn them. Add the milk to the onions, then add the potato and stir until totally incorporated into the milk and should be a thick, creamy consistency. Flake the smoked haddock into meaty chunks taking care to remove any bones you may find. Add to the soup. Add the chopped parsley leaves to the soup and bring to a gentle simmer and cook for a further 4 - 5 minutes. Do not over stir. If over stirred then you will break up the fish too much. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper as needed, be careful with the salt, the fish will impart quite a salty flavour all on its own. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Optional: Garnish the soup with more chopped parsley or a little extra pepper as is your taste. Sometimes Cullen Skink is served with a softly poached hen's egg on top for an even more filling soup or lightly poached quails eggs dropped into the soup before serving adds a touch of sophistication if you are serving the soup on a more formal occasion. Occasionally, I also like to add a cup of cooked or warmed, canned sweetcorn before serving but this is not traditional for Cullen Skink. Related Articles Scottish Seafood Chowder - Cullen Skink my way.......with Smoked Whiting - Lavender and Lovage Cullen Skink my way........with Smoked Whiting – Scottish Seafood Chowder – Cullen Skink my way…….with Smoked Whiting Smoked Whiting by Robert Grant (rgrant_97) Fish on Friday This is my second fishy post of the day, a Fish in Friday double bonus. And, this wonderful soup has just been devoured for lunch along with crusty baguette and butter.

As part of the Fish Fanatics scheme, of which I am a member, we receive boxes of fish and seafood throughout the year to sample, cook with and to discuss, and my last box of fish was sent to me as usual via Fish is the Dish with some lovely Scottish fish from John at Delish Fish . In the box was something very new to me, some smoked whiting fillets; whiting is a member of the cod family and has a similar flavour but is more economical and sustainable to buy than cod, and as I discovered, the smoked version also makes a great alternative to smoked haddock. On looking at the smoked whiting fillets, they looked very similar to smoked haddock, and with that in mind, I thought that I would try them out in a Scottish classic, a Cullen Skink, but cooked my way! My Cullen Skink cooking....... The smoked whiting worked a treat in this recipe; it does has a tendency to break up if cooked too long, so keep an eagle eye on it when initially poaching it in the milk.

The flesh is very white and quite sweet when unsmoked, but when smoked, I couldn’t tell the difference between it and smoked haddock, which is brilliant for the purse strings, as smoked whiting is cheaper per kilo. John’s fillets came ready to cook and filleted, in handy sealed packets – you can see how handy the packets are by clicking on the link here: Smoked Whiting . As I was making a classic recipe with a new kind of fish, I also decided to walk on the wild side and substitute the usual parsley with some fresh chopped chives, as well as adding in a little bit of smoked salmon at the end, which added a richer flavour. I would challenge even the most experienced of fish eaters to say that they could tell the difference between smoked haddock and whiting; the flake is slightly different, but that’s not that obvious when used in a soup, fish cakes or a pie.

I did it my way - Cullen Skink This soup was wonderful…….thick and unctuous and the smoked flavours were subtle, and yet pronounced enough to make it special, as Cullen Skink is – it is probably my all time favourite soup, and is usually the first item I choose from the menu when I am at a good restaurant; the fact that it can made at home with a cheaper type of smoked fish is a real bonus, and it’s also very simple to make too. I hope you will try smoked whiting, and if you do, let me know what you think, as well as maybe having a go at making this soup, it would be a wonderful starter for a Good Friday supper or lunch. North Atlantic Whiting That’s all for my double fishy posts for today, see you tomorrow with a Random Recipe and then on Sunday with more CAKE and flowers! Have a wonderful weekend, Karen.

Cullen Skink with Smoked Whiting Powered by GetMeCooking Cullen Skink with Smoked Whiting This is a non-Sponsored Post: I received this fish as part of a special programme to promote sustainable British seafood and fish; the programme is run by Fish is the Dish as part of the Fish Fanatics group, and the fish was supplied by Delish Fish as part of this scheme. This is a non-sponsored post and I was not paid to promote the fish mentioned on my blog in any shape or form. With thanks to the team at Fish is the Dish and to John at Delish Fish for sending me this fish to try. Cullen Skink, Just a Strange Scottish Name for Smoked Haddock Chowder - Christina's Cucina Christina's Cucina Cullen Skink, Just a Strange Scottish Name for Smoked Haddock Chowder February 4th, 2016 | 23 Comments Chances are you’ve heard of Cullen Skink and had no idea what it was. To me, it didn’t even sound edible and possibly more like an elusive animal!

However, now that I’m a Cullen Skink fan, I can assure you that it is extremely edible, and definitely not an animal. Disclosure: I received two smoked haddocks from Stonington Seafood. All opinions are solely mine. If you’re a clam chowder aficionado/a, I’m sure you’ll also love Cullen Skink, which is essentially smoked haddock chowder. After tasting it in my friend Melanie’s Craigard Tea Room in Scotland over a year ago, I knew it was one of those things I’d have to make at home. However, one difficulty in making this dish for those of us in the US, is obtaining smoked haddock, and the problem presents itself to those of us on the west coast, even more so. After a quick google search, I found an answer to my problem: Stonington Seafood ! This company is Richard Penfold’s baby, and his name is proudly displayed on each package of smoked haddock (made by him personally), and I can attest that this haddock is top quality, and as tasty as any Finnan Haddie (another term for smoked haddock) made in Scotland.

You see, Richard is from England, but learned his craft in Scotland, and after speaking to him on the phone, I learned that we see eye to eye when it comes to quality and perfection in what we do. He’s as passionate about his seafood as I am about cooking, so that should tell you something. Richard sent me two, big, beautiful smoked haddies (nickname for haddock), which incidentally happens to be my most favorite fish! My dad made his fish suppers in Scotland with haddock, and I honestly believe that anyone who says they don’t like fish would have changed their mind if they’d been able to taste these special fish (they were actually called “specials” as they were dipped in a breadcrumb coating after being battered). The fish is very white, with big flakes and the most wonderful flavor that I can’t even begin to describe. There is nothing “fishy” about haddock (meaning no nasty smell or “fishy flavor”). I filmed my Aunt Virginia making Cullen Skink for the first time when I was in Scotland for the Scottish Baking Awards.

Here is a clip of her tasting it (if you don’t understand all of it, it’s because she’s speaking a mix of English and Italian.) Click on her photo to view it. It was very tasty, (but not as good as Melanie’s!) FIRST RECIPE: When I came home, I used the same recipe with my first pound of Finnan Haddie (except I used milk instead of water to cook the fish). Making it in my kitchen, it didn’t turn out as thick as I wanted, and I just kept remembering Melanie’s version, so I asked her for tips. This Cullen Skink was delicious, but not the right consistency. SECOND RECIPE: I made the next batch of Cullen Skink from a recipe in a Scottish cookbook (keeping Melanie’s advice in mind). I think that because of the difference between the potatoes in Scotland and the US, mine still didn’t thicken enough, even with twice the amount of potatoes as in the recipe, and I ended up blending up about half the potatoes, which worked perfectly. I also noticed that the recipe posted on Stonington Seafood’s site uses this method. I loved this version and the consistency was perfect.

THIRD RECIPE: I still had half a Finnan Haddie left after this, and decided to try a leek version, since both Melanie and my friend, Jill, from Mad About Macarons , use them when making their Cullen Skink. Cullen Skink at Craigard Tea Room, Helensburgh What was the verdict? All three Cullen Skink versions I made tasted fabulous and I’m sure it was due to Stonington Seafood’s haddies; they had such huge, beautiful flakes and no dark yellow coloring, like the one I purchased from the grocery store in Glasgow. My family agreed; they loved each Cullen Skink recipe: no complaints, just compliments. So I really think that as long as you have good quality smoked haddock, and other ingredients, you just can’t go wrong! It’s a wonderful, winter-time comfort food, but for warmer weather, I’d just make it less thick. Are Stonington Seafood products are available near you? Click here to see the locations. The only unfortunate part for those of us on the west coast and not near a supplier, is the shipping.

The haddies have to be expedited in a cooler due to their perishable nature, but we’re hoping that Richard may soon have his product in more locations (like Los Angeles)! Stay tuned. This final recipe is a sort of mix of all the recipes I tried, so I hope you enjoy it! As I said, I think Cullen Skink relies more on quality of ingredients more than quantities and measurements. cullen skink with leeks Cullen Skink: Scottish Smoked Haddock Chowder recipe adapted from Great British Cookery by Lucy Knox, & Kris Burrin, & Melanie Andrews Ingredients 1 lb smoked haddock (Stonington Seafood for great quality haddies) 20 oz (2 1/2 cups) whole milk 1 oz (1/4 stick) good quality butter, like Kerrygold (8 oz) 1 1/2 cups diced onion or sliced leeks 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced salt and pepper chopped fresh parsley and heavy whipping cream, to serve Place the smoked haddock skin side down in a pan and pour enough of the 20 oz of milk just to cover them.

Remove the haddies, bring the milk to a boil, then add the fish, reduce the heat, and simmer over low heat for 4 minutes. Remove the haddies from the milk and allow to cool while preparing the rest of the Cullen Skink ingredients. Strain the milk into a jug and set aside. In another pot, add the butter and onions or leeks, and saute for a few minutes (until onions are transparent, but not brown). Add the milk from the haddies along with the rest of the original 20 ounces of milk, along with the diced potatoes, and about half a teaspoon of salt. Simmer gently until the potatoes are ready. Meanwhile, prepare the smoked haddies: when the fish is cool enough to handle, pull the skin off; it comes off very easily. Then flake the fish into nice, large pieces. smoked haddock ready to be flaked When the potatoes are cooked, remove about one quarter to one half of the chowder (depending on how thick you like it) into a container to puree (I use an immersion blender) then return to the pot.

Add the flaked fish, taste and adjust the seasoning, and add some pepper, if desired. Cook for about 2 minutes, then serve with a little cream, sprinkle of parsley and some hearty bread. bowl of Cullen Skink Don’t forget, if you place a 5lb order before March 4th, you’ll receive an 8 oz package of smoked mackerel FREE! Just mention “Cozy Comfort Food.” Have you ever tried Cullen Skink? Do you have a favorite way of making it? Let me know in the comments below. Don’t miss another post! Sign up for my free subscription HERE , but make sure to look for the Feedburner confirmation email or you’ll get nothing, nada, niente and zippo in your mailbox! (I promise not to sell or share your info, ever!) How to cook perfect cullen skink | Life and style | The Guardian How to cook perfect cullen skink Full-flavoured, hearty, and comfortingly creamy, is cullen skink the world's finest fish soup? Felicity's perfect cullen skink.

Photograph: Felicity Cloake Wednesday 4 January 2012 19.10 EST First published on Wednesday 4 January 2012 19.10 EST Share on Messenger Close Cullen skink. Not a promising name for a soup, in all honesty – I think Dickens missed a trick by not borrowing it for one of his villains – but one sniff and you'll be won over. Stuffed full of warming wintery ingredients like smoked fish and starchy potatoes, made rich and comforting with milk or cream, it never fails to cheer, even in the darkest days of January. (Unless, I admit, you're sitting upwind of someone else's helping, in a badly ventilated office, with only a meanly filled, heavily chilled turkey sandwich for company. Then you might feel, with some justification, that cullen skink is as malevolent as it sounds.) About that name: Cullen is, of course, a fishing town on the Moray Firth, an inlet popular with haddock, while "skink" has a more puzzling history.

The New York Times claims it comes from the Middle High German word for a weak beer , which seems to make some of sense for a thin soup, but the Oxford Companion to Food counters that it's a variation of the German "schinke", or ham, denoting a shin specifically: "so the archetypal skink is a soup made from shin of beef". Cattle perhaps being more valuable than fish in coastal regions, the locals adapted the idea to suit their own ingredients – and I'm very glad they did. Smokier and more assertive than American chowder, heartier than classical French bisque, it's one of the world's finest seafood soups. The fish River Cottage recipe cullen skink. Photograph: Felicity Cloake The overwhelming flavour of cullen skin is smoked fish – haddock traditionally, but, as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nick Fisher point out in the River Cottage Fish Book , just about any smoked white fish will do – so it's important to make sure that flavour is a good one.

Most recipes simply call for smoked haddock, with some adding "preferably undyed" – the taste is generally exactly the same, though obviously all that yellow colouring adds nothing positive to the nutritional content – but Stirling-born Nick Nairn specifies Arbroath smokies in his Great British Menu recipe . Smokies are headless, gutted haddock, hot smoked over wood in the traditional fashion, and they're not easy to track down, but the smell when I finally get my mitts on a couple of pairs is enough to convince me they're probably worth the shoe leather. While I love their distinctive wood-smoked flavour and creamy texture, they overpower the soup, giving it an unpalatable acrid character. Save your precious smokies for somewhere they'll be better appreciated. The soup base Mark Hix recipe cullen skink. Photograph: Felicity Cloake Although cullen skink relies upon a certain amount of milk or cream to give it richness, when and how much to add varies wildly. Mark Hix , for example, gives a recipe in British Regional Food which involves cooking the ingredients in fish stock, and stirring in a couple of tablespoons of cream at the end.

Although the stock cube I've used is rather overpoweringly fishy, the result is nice enough but lacks the comforting creamy sweetness I associate with this kind of soup. I also think the haddock, which has been simmered for 15 minutes, has gone a bit rubbery, which is a shame. Nick Nairn also uses stock as a base, but this time it's homemade using Arbroath smokies (which, at £8 a pair, is no mean investment) along with white wine, leeks, fennel and onion. He adds this to softened onions, leeks and some boiled potatoes plus another couple of fish, simmers for 10 minutes, then blends with milk and cream before serving. A third smokie, flaked, become a garnish. This means the soup has the distinctive, smoky flavour of the fish, while the garnish shows off their delicate texture – but, as previously mentioned, the finished result is a sad waste of good smokies. Sue Lawrence, meanwhile, makes a quick fish stock by simmering the haddock in water, then removing it and cooking the vegetables in the same water – the milk is added at the end.

This is lovely – silky, rather than thin, and creamy without being off-puttingly rich (after all, this is a Scottish fishwives' dish). Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Nick Fisher poach their fish in milk, and, once it's cooked, add this milk, along with the potatoes, to some fish stock and sautéed onions, and simmer the two together. Although the milk has already been heated, somehow it begins to separate slightly, giving the finished soup a distinctly unattractive appearance. Gary Rhodes gives the stock a miss completely in his New British Classics recipe, instead poaching the fish in milk, then cooking the vegetables in the same milk, and topping off with cream. It's utterly delicious – the fish has flavoured the milk beautifully – but so rich that I can only imagine eating it in tiny, restaurant portions, rather than the big steaming bowls I think cullen skink deserves. The starch Sue Lawrence recipe cullen skink. Photograph: Felicity Cloake Potatoes provide the filling bulk in a cullen skink: the New York Times suggests that canny Scottish cooks often use leftover mash, and indeed, many of the recipes online contributed by home cooks echo this practice.

As I never leave any mash lonely and unloved in the bottom of the dish, I have to make some especially for the occasion, and then, as the recipe from the Potato Council counsels, whisk them into the finished soup. It does the job of thickening it, but I miss the chunks of potato in the other soups. Without any mashing at all, however, the soup will be thin, and lack vital warming properties. Hugh and Nick suggest roughly mashing some of the potato against the side of the pan if you'd like to thicken it slightly, while Mark Hix purées a ladleful and then stirs it back into the pan. Neither of these have much effect – I prefer Sue Lawrence's suggestion of roughly mashing the entire contents of the pan before adding the fish, which leaves a few chunks intact and suspended in a heartily textured broth. Nick Nairn recipe cullen skink. Photograph: Felicity Cloake Nick Nairn's recipe purées all the spuds, resulting in the same rather boring consistency as the mashed potato version, save for the flakes of smokie.

Gary, however, blanches half the potato chunks separately, then adds them to the liquidised soup along with the haddock. It's a bit thick for my taste, but I like the contrast between the smooth soup and the chunks of potato and fish and, as I'm using a quick stock, this should help thin it down slightly. If you don't have a blender, mashing it as Sue does is another perfectly good option. Mark Hix says that his host on a fishing trip in Aberdeenshire left the skin on his potatoes, which I'm always a fan of with soup: it gives a more intense flavour. Nick Nairn boils his in their skins, presumably for this reason, then peels them, but I think this is a bit pointless – if you're not cooking for Michel Roux Jr himself, then leave them on. Extra nutrients. Extras Gary Rhodes recipe cullen skink. Photograph: Felicity Cloake Although alliums are essential for adding aromatic depth to a cullen skink, opinion is divided between leeks and onions – Hugh and Nick call for a vast quantity of the latter, commenting that "we find cooking them down to a rich, sweet mass gives the soup a really wonderful depth of flavour".

They're right, but onions can beat even pungent smoked fish into submission: this is more like onion soup with a hint of haddock. Mark Hix uses just leeks in his soup, which I think is a shame, because the sweetness of onions makes a lovely contrast to the savouriness of the fish. Leeks do bring a nice green freshness, however, so a mixture of the two, as recommended by Gary Rhodes, seems to be the best option. Shallots, as used by Nick Nairn, are too delicate in my opinion, and as for garlic, well, it's just plain wrong here. Sue Lawrence suggests that "Jerusalem artichokes are also wonderful in this soup instead of potatoes", so I substitute them in her recipe. I like the sweet, earthiness they bring to the soup, but they don't thicken it as well as the potato, whose starchy creaminess is a better foil to the strongly flavoured fish. Gary finishes his skink with a squeeze of lemon juice, which cuts through the dairy richness, but I don't think it adds anything to a lighter version.

And I prefer the chives Sue Lawrence suggests to the chopped parsley used by Mark Hix; they're a lovely complement to those leeks and onions. Perfect cullen skink Felicity's perfect cullen skink Photograph: Felicity Cloake Cullen skink is one of Britain's best soups: full-flavoured, hearty, and comfortingly creamy, it's just the thing to warm your cockles after a hard day's work on the Moray Firth – or even at the office. Serves 6 500g undyed smoked haddock, skin on A bay leaf 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 leek, washed and cut into chunks 2 medium potatoes, unpeeled, cut into chunks 500ml whole milk Chives, chopped, to serve 1. Put the fish into a pan large enough to hold it comfortably, and cover with about 300ml cold water. Add the bay leaf, and bring gently to the boil. By the time it comes to the boil, the fish should be just cooked – if it's not, then give it another minute or so. Remove from the pan, and set aside to cool. Take the pan off the heat.

2. Melt the butter in another pan on a medium-low heat, and add the onion and the leek. Cover and allow to sweat, without colouring, for about 10 minutes until softened. Season with black pepper. 3. Add the potato and stir to coat with butter. Pour in the haddock cooking liquor and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the potato is tender. 4. Meanwhile, remove the skin, and any bones from the haddock, and break into flakes. 5. Lift out a generous slotted spoonful of potatoes and leeks, and set aside. Discard the bay leaf. Add the milk, and half the haddock to the pan, and either mash roughly or blend until smoothish. 6. Season to taste, and serve with a generous spoonful of the potato, leek and haddock mixture in each bowl, and a sprinkling of chives. Is cullen skink Britain's finest fish soup – and why, as an island nation, do we not have more great examples? Or do clam chowder, or bouillabaisse float your boat instead?

Cullen Skink - Outlander Kitchen Outlander Kitchen Outlander January 22, 2013 Theresa “Oh, Arthur knew,” she said. “He wouldna admit it, to be sure — not even to himself. But he knew. We’d sit across the board from each other at supper, and I’d ask, “Will ye have a bit more o’ the cullen skink, my dear?’ of “A sup of ale, my own?’ And him watching me, with those eyes like boiled eggs, and he’d say no, he didna feel himself with an appetite just then. And he’d push his plate back, and later I’d hear him in the kitchen, secret-like, gobbling his food standing by the hutch, thinking himself safe, because he ate no food that came from my hand.” Diana Gabaldon, Outlander (Chapter 25 – Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Witch to Live) An unsavoury character, awash in squalor, describing her dastardly deeds. A worse segue to a recipe I’ve never seen. Let’s try that again with a different cullen skink excerpt, shall we?

“Well, it’s to do wi’ Duncan.” He looked at once amused and slightly worried. “There’s a wee difficulty, and he canna bring himself to speak to her about it.” “Don’t tell me,” I said. “he was married before, and he thought his first wife was dead, but he’s just seen her here, eating cullen skink.” “Well, no,” he said, smiling. “not so bad as that. And perhaps it’s nay so troublesome as Duncan fears. But he’s worrit in his mind about it, and yet he canna bring himself to speak to my aunt; he’s a bit shy of her, aye?” Diana Gabaldon, The Fiery Cross (Chapter 40 – Duncan’s Secret) Better. If we could just do something about the name of this rich, smoky fish soup that had both me and My Englishman huddled over the pot on the stove, greedily slurping the last spoonfuls. I have to say that cullen skink is selling itself short with its name.

Created in the fishing town of Cullen in north-eastern Scotland, it gets the other, more unfortunate, half of its name from the German schinke, meaning shin. The textbook skink is a soup made from shin of beef. The Scots are an adaptable sort though, especially the fisher folk, so I assume they used regional ingredients they had in plenty, such as smoked haddock and leeks. Potatoes weren’t under wide-cultivation in Scotland in the 18th C, so their addition must have come later, but they add essential body to this milk-based soup. Delicious, it’s more than a soup, but not as thick as a chowder. Served with bread, it makes a filling lunch. Add a salad and you’ve got dinner. Authentic cullen skink requires Finnan haddie, a haddock caught off the Moray Firth and lightly cold-smoked using green wood and peat. You can order it online here . I was in a hurry, so I used the next best, most economical, choice around here, cod, and smoked it at home. (See the bottom of this post.) I realize that not everyone has a smoker, but ask around.

Maybe your local fish monger can help. Or a friend? Invite them over for a bowl of the finished product and introduce them to one of the world’s finest, and least-known, fish soups. (Click on the title below for a printable version of the recipe.) : A DELICIOUS, hearty, smoked-fish soup made from simple ingredients that won’t hurt your wallet or your waistline. Serves 4 Cold-Smoked White Fish (Haddock, Cod, Halibut, etc) – ¾ lb (350 g) (recipe below) Bay Leaf – 1 Leek, white part only, cleaned & thinly sliced – 1 medium Potatoes, peeled & diced – 2 medium Whole Milk – 2 Cups s+p Green Onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal – 2 (for garnish) Place the fish and bay leaf in a pan just big enough to fit. Cover with 1½ cups cold water and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Once boiled, remove the bay leaf and fish to a plate, debone, and flake. Set aside. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add the leeks and a pinch of salt & pepper. Sauté until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add the potatoes, as well as the reserved bay leaf and cooking liquid. Simmer over medium until the potatoes are tender. Remove approx ½ cup of the leek and potato mixture with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and set aside. Discard the bay leaf. Add the milk and half of the fish to the pot. Heat over medium until hot, then puree with an immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, mash the solids in the soup with the back of a fork to puree as best you can. Keep warm until ready to serve, but do not allow to boil. Taste and season with salt & pepper. Serve, dividing the reserved fish, as well as the leek & potato mixture, amongst the bowls. Garnish with sliced green onion. Traditionally served with Oatcakes , Mrs. Bug’s Buttermilk Drop Biscuits also go wonderfully with this soup. Ith gu leòir!

(Eat Plenty) (Click on the title below for a printable version of the recipe.) Coarse Salt – ¾ Cup (180 ml) Light Brown Sugar, unpacked – ¾ Cup (180 ml) Cod Fillets – 1-2 lbs (450-900 g) Boil 1 quart (litre) water. Mix the salt and sugar together in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water over and stir until completely dissolved. Add another 1 quart (litre) COLD water (or ice), stir, and set aside until completely cool. Lay the fish in a single layer in a baking dish and cover with the salt-sugar brine. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then remove the fish from the brine, blot dry, and place it on the smoker’s rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate, unwrapped, for a minimum of 4 hours (up to overnight). The surface of the fish will be slightly tacky to the touch.

Remove the rack from the fridge and smoke at 70°-80°F (20°-27°C) for 3-4 hours, until the flesh is firm but still intact. Wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Keeps 4-5 days. Ith gu leòir! (Eat Plenty)

Question: What kind of food is Cullen Skink?
Answer: Fish